The family of a Michigan teenager shot to death by a police officer filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the cop this week, saying he repeatedly violated the boy's civil rights during a traffic stop that ended with the victim shot seven times in a roadside snowbank.

The lawsuit follows a June decision by local prosecutors not to charge Sgt. Jonathan Frost of the Eaton County Sheriff's Office for the Feb. 28 killing of 17-year-old Deven Guilford following a confrontation that was partly captured by the officer's body camera and the boy's cell phone.

However, he allegedly refused to give the officer his driver's license - which was actually at his girlfriend's house - as well as his registration or his proof of insurance,

Why didn't Deven just tell the police where his driver's license was. And was the car he was driving someone elses', and so he didn't know where the registration was ?
And what was with not complying with the officer and putting his hands behind his back ?

It appears from the officers' injuries that the teen fought him- which doesn't make sense ; since it doesn't sound like anything illegal was found in the car.

Eta : from the above link : The inquiry also found Guilford had traces of marijuana in his system.
If there were drugs found in the car, one would think that the police dept. would have released that fact by now. Idk.

The family of a Michigan teenager shot to death by a police officer filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the cop this week, saying he repeatedly violated the boy's civil rights during a traffic stop that ended with the victim shot seven times in a roadside snowbank.

The lawsuit follows a June decision by local prosecutors not to charge Sgt. Jonathan Frost of the Eaton County Sheriff's Office for the Feb. 28 killing of 17-year-old Deven Guilford following a confrontation that was partly captured by the officer's body camera and the boy's cell phone.

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I'm so sick of seeing videos of cops appearing to be hopped up on steroids and looking for fights. Primed for violence. Pull a kid over for no reason and kill him.

:furious:

Rest in peace Deven. You are missed. I hope your family wins and it brings them some peace.

I am not sure how it can be said that the cop was looking for a fight. He began the stop by being very polite. The teen had many opportunities to cooperate. He could have said from the start that his license was not in the car, but this is my name and birthdate etc. He was the one being obstinate and looking for a fight. It was totally unnecessary. JMO

I am not sure how it can be said that the cop was looking for a fight. He began the stop by being very polite. The teen had many opportunities to cooperate. He could have said from the start that his license was not in the car, but this is my name and birthdate etc. He was the one being obstinate and looking for a fight. It was totally unnecessary. JMO

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Childish and trying to pick a fight. He sounds like a little kid with the "No I didn't" "Yes you did" "No I didn't" What is he, four?

Deven Guilford: How you doing

Sgt. Frost: Can I get your driver's license, registration, proof of insurance, please, pulled you over today cause you flashed me, I didn't even have my brights on

Deven Guilford: Yes, you did sir

Sgt. Frost: Nope, I didn't, partner

Deven Guilford: Sir

Sgt. Frost: I'm telling you because when I turned around

Deven Guilford: I couldn't see, I could not see

Sgt. Frost: I didn't have em on, all right

Deven Guilford: Dude, trust me, I, I know

Sgt. Frost: Trust me, OK, I did not have them on, when I turned around I flashed them on to show you that they weren't on

About four months ago, Guilford thought Frost was driving with his high beams on, so he flashed his own lights. Frost has said he was not using his high beams, but was driving a new police car that apparently had unusually bright headlights. He even told Guilford that he had previously pulled over other drivers for flashing their brights at him &#8212; all of whom had mistakenly thought he was using his high beams &#8212; and let them off with warnings. This would seem to indicate that Frost was driving with headlights that other drivers found distracting and potentially dangerous. Yet instead of looking into the matter, he continued to pull people over, essentially for the crime of being distracted by his lights.

One thing I noted in the police report. In days leading up to this event, Guilford was described by his parents as being obsessed with police stop videos on YouTube. It is noted that he seemed to be deliberately trying to aggravate the officer in order to possibly video an encounter he could post online. I think if we assume that a lot of what happened here makes sense. Guilford got quickly in over his head and things went badly wrong.

Also what was each person driving?
If you are driving a small car many SUV's or trucks look like they have their brights on.
Especially to a fairly inexperienced driver, it takes time to get used to it.
If the cop was driving a bigger vehicle that would have only made his bright lights even worse.

One thing I noted in the police report. In days leading up to this event, Guilford was described by his parents as being obsessed with police stop videos on YouTube. It is noted that he seemed to be deliberately trying to aggravate the officer in order to possibly video an encounter he could post online. I think if we assume that a lot of what happened here makes sense. Guilford got quickly in over his head and things went badly wrong.

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Interesting that the parents admitted to the police that DG was obsessed with 'police stop' videos before the tragic incident. I think that might hurt them during their lawsuit because it makes it more likely that he was escalation the incident himself, purposely.

Interesting that the parents admitted to the police that DG was obsessed with 'police stop' videos before the tragic incident. I think that might hurt them during their lawsuit because it makes it more likely that he was escalation the incident himself, purposely.

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My feeling exactly. In the video he seemed to be suppressing laughter when talking to the cop- he was having a lot of fun baiting him and taking the video. Upon being forced out of his car, he was intent on continuing to record, holding up his phone even against direct orders. Sadly the fun didn't last and things turned deadly.

Also what was each person driving?
If you are driving a small car many SUV's or trucks look like they have their brights on.
Especially to a fairly inexperienced driver, it takes time to get used to it.
If the cop was driving a bigger vehicle that would have only made his bright lights even worse.

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I had no idea headlight flashing laws varied so greatly between states.

For anyone who has not read DA's 19 page no-prosecution decision of June 16, it is quite informative.
Other posts have referenced the teen watching online vid of traffic stops, and this from page 11 explains more.

"Recent Life Events
As recorded on both the body-cam and Deven's own cell phone, Deven was defiant toward the officer's authority. He challenged the reason for the traffic stop, questioned the legitimacy of the officer's position as a law enforcement officer, refused to provide identification and other required vehicle information after numerous requests, refused to get out of the car when ordered to do so, did not comply with demands so he could be arrested and forcibly resisted, opposed or obstructed Sgt. Frost's efforts to handcuff him; all while he was focused on documenting his encounter.
Deven's father and girlfriend reported that, in the days and weeks preceding this traffic stop, Deven was focused on YouTube videos of police encounters with citizens. While not expressing harsh anti-police rhetoric, Deven was supporting the videos as examples of police violating people' s rights and "how bad cops are". They said that Deven's focus on these videos was recent, sudden, out of the ordinary, and may have influenced Deven in this traffic stop. His father reported that, in recent days, he tried to counsel his son that these videos did not show how all police acted. Deven's act of recording the traffic stop may have been intended for YouTube. Deven held his phone to focus on Sgt. Frost and narrated "This is what American as Sgt. Frost ordered him to put the phone down and move his arms to his side so he could be handcuffed." bbm

Regardless of above decision and future outcome of fam's civil case filed against LE, I hope more parents will discuss approp. traffic stop behavior w their teen drivers and maybe adults should think about how they should/will react. Ditto LEOs.
jmo.

The family of a teenager who was fatally shot by an Eaton County sheriffs officer has won a key ruling in a lawsuit.

Federal Judge Paul Maloney dismissed some parts of the case Friday but said claims of excessive force can go to trial in the shooting of 17-year-old Deven Guilford.

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Since what happened in the ditch is subject to vociferous dispute, the Court does not see any good-faith basis for an appeal on this claim because purely factual disputes preclude summary judgment, Maloney wrote in an opinion and order.

Attorneys for an Eaton County sergeant who shot and killed Deven Guilford during a 2015 traffic stop are asking the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to throw out a lawsuit from the teens family.

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Maloney, in a 38-page opinion, addressed what he described as inconsistencies between Frost's account of the incident and the evidence. He added that a jury could find that some of what Frost says occurred was "almost inconceivable."

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"For someone who claims he was being 'pummeled' while lying on the ground, it remains curious that there were relatively few injuries to his face and almost no injuries to the back of his head," Maloney wrote. "...Moreover, Guilford had not a single bruise or cut to his hands  almost inconceivable, a jury could conclude, if he was 'pummeling' Frost to the point where he feared he would lose consciousness."